


The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

by seraphina_snape



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Banter, Christmas, Coming Out, Cuddling & Snuggling, Developing Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, Friendship, Late Night Conversations, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 05:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8954677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphina_snape/pseuds/seraphina_snape
Summary: With an injured ankle, the trip home was all but impossible unless Dex forked over a lot of money for a plane ticket. (Hint: he didn't have any money.) So he resigned himself to spending Christmas alone at the Haus, with only his crutches and Chowder's shark plushie for company. But then things played out a little differently.





	1. December 22

**Author's Note:**

> Set in Dex and Nursey's junior year.

**December 22**

Dex was sitting on the bottom steps, his crutches leaning against the banister from the other side. He could hear Nursey moving around upstairs, stomping around the attic while he finished packing his bag. It was the first day of winter break, and everyone else had already left, either the evening before or early in the morning. Nursey, in true Nursey fashion, had put off packing long enough that he'd have to hurry to make his flight. 

"It's ten seventeen," Dex shouted up the stairs. 

The sound of a crash followed by quiet cursing filtered downstairs. 

"Chill, Dex. I've got more than enough time," Nursey yelled back. 

Dex snorted. "Please, you're on your phone right now switching to a later flight. Don't even bother to lie." 

There was another crash, and then Nursey came stumbling down the steps. He dropped his bag on the first floor landing, ran back up to the attic and came down again a second later, several chargers with their cables all tangled together in his hands. 

"Shut up," Nursey said when he reached Dex, unzipping his bag to squeeze the knot of charger cables into it. "I'm on time."

Since they both knew that was a big fat lie, Dex didn't bother to argue. 

Nursey straightened up and pushed his hair out of his eyes. He looked back up the stairs. "Dude, I didn't even ask. Do you want me to bring your bag down, or did Chowder do that yesterday? I didn't see it upstairs, but I was a little focused on finding all of my crap, so--what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Did you sleep through the entire last three days? Nursey, I'm not going home."

"What?"

Dex gestured to his bandaged ankle and the crutches. "It's not like I can drive right now and the doc said I should take it easy for at least a week before I start putting my full weight on it. I'll probably miss our next game, too, but if everything heals right, I'll be back for the game after that."

Nursey blinked. "I thought you would just--"

"What? Book a flight instead?" Dex snapped. "Even though they're possibly big enough for it, I don't have money coming out of my ears!"

"I could--"

Dex narrowed his eyes. "No."

"But--"

"One more word and I will hit you with my crutches."

Nursey opened his mouth - to argue; Dex just _knew_ it was to argue - but then his phone buzzed. "My uber is here."

"So you should probably go."

The frown on Nursey's face smoothed out in record time and he gave Dex a lazy smile. "I guess I should. See you later, Poindexter."

Dex rolled his eyes at the fake chill. "Yeah, yeah. Merry Christmas or whatever."

"Yeah," Nursey echoed. "Merry Christmas or whatever."

Nursey grabbed his bag and left, leaving Dex sitting in an empty Haus. 

"Guess it's just you and me," he said to his crutches. Wincing a little, he pulled himself to his feet and made his way into the living room. Bitty had made sure the kitchen was stocked up with enough food to last the entire Haus until New Year's so it was definitely enough for Dex alone, and Chowder had left his favorite shark plushie at the Haus to keep Dex company. Being stuck at Samwell for Christmas would suck, but his recovery was more important. Sure, if he had the money he'd have booked a flight, but his savings were for food and hockey gear, not vacations. Even if it meant spending Christmas alone, without his family, in an empty house devoid of any Christmas spirit – or at least Christmas decorations. 

Dex sighed and settled down on the green couch. After carefully placing his foot on a pillow, he reached for the remote and switched on the TV. He had literally nothing else to do but watch TV and nap, and for once the Haus was actually quiet enough to enjoy both without interruptions.

#

The door slamming open and knocking into the wall woke Dex an undetermined amount of time later. He was halfway on his feet when the pain in his ankle brought him back down onto the couch.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Nursey dropped the bags he was carrying and reached for Dex, but he stopped short of making contact, hovering over Dex like Nursey wasn't sure how to touch him without causing him pain.

Dex glared up at Nursey, fingers wrapped around his aching ankle. "Some asshole just slammed into the Haus making me thing I was going to be burgled or killed or both!"

"Sorry." 

Nursey actually did look sorry, so Dex let it go. He reached for his painkillers. While it wasn't quite time to take another dose, the dull throbbing in his ankle was more than enough for him to do it anyway. 

Nursey handed him his water bottle and then held out the cookie dish when Dex leaned back against the couch. 

"You're supposed to take them with food," he said when Dex hesitated. "Besides, they're Bitty's almond thumbprint cookies. How can you resist?"

"Point." Dex took a cookie and chewed thoughtfully, watching as Nursey took one as well. "So," he said when Nursey didn't seem in a hurry to explain, "did you miss your flight?"

"Nope." Nursey grinned. "I canceled it."

Dex frowned. "Why?"

"Because." Nursey shrugged. "You're here alone, man. And you're injured."

"But. Your parents--"

"Uh. Whatever, it's chill."

Dex raised an eyebrow. "You just spontaneously decided to stay here for Christmas and it's _chill_ with your folks? Did you even tell them?"

"I send my mom a text. She's a lapsed Catholic who's agnostic at best and my dad's a muslim-born atheist. We did the whole Christmas thing for the sake of my grandmother – and that was like, two days at most every year – but she passed when I was twelve and since then it's been mostly..." Nursey gave a one-shoulder shrug. "We still do presents and there's a wreath on the door so the neighbors won't think we have no Christmas spirit, but that's about it. So, it's chill."

"Really?"

"Yeah. My mom says there's enough Christmas everywhere else that she doesn't need it in her house, and my dad obviously doesn't mind. Not like his family ever celebrated Christmas."

"So what? You just," Dex made a vague gesture, "canceled your flight and decided to stay here?"

"Basically."

The statement was followed by a moment of awkward silence. Dex wasn't sure what to say. It was touching, really, that Nursey gave up going home for winter break to keep him company. Dex certainly didn't _mind_ not being alone over Christmas, but last time he'd checked, they weren't those kinds of friends. They had each other's backs, on the ice and off. They shared a room and it worked surprisingly well. Sure. But this?

"Man, this is some Ransom and Holster shit, Nursey."

"I know." Nursey chuckled, sounding a little strained. "They will be so proud."

"Shitty, too." Dex shivered. "Is it fucking cold in here or am I imagining things?"

Nursey's head shot up. "Oh, _shit_." He leapt up and disappeared from the living room. 

Dex sighed. "You left the door open again, didn't you?" When Nursey didn't answer – not even by chirping back at him – Dex twisted around until he could see over the back of the couch. 

Nursey came back carrying two bulging plastic bags. He dropped the bags on the floor by the coffee table and disappeared again. A minute later, there were six large bags and a small plastic Christmas tree in the Haus living room.

Dex gaped.

"So I got into the uber earlier, thinking about how you'd be spending Christmas here, alone, and I just. I told the driver to drop me off at the mall and did some shopping."

Dex rolled his eyes. _Some shopping._ The coffee table was buried under a mountain of bags and Nursey called it 'some shopping'. _Typical._

"Look, here's the thing," Nursey said, looking dangerously close to losing his chill. "I know you'd rather be spending Christmas with your family, but they can't be here. I can. So I thought--"

"Nursey," Dex interrupted. "Thank you."

"I can still get a later flight if you don't want me to stay, but the Haus doesn't even really look like it's Christmas and you were telling Chowder all about how your mom goes overboard with the whole Christmas kitsch thing and how your house looks like a light-up gingerbread--"

"Nursey. Derek!"

" _What?_ "

"Thank you," Dex repeated. "You really don't have to stay if you'd rather go home, though. I mean, I appreciate it. Really, I do. But you should be with your family on Christmas, so--"

"I told you, we don't really celebrate," Nursey said, bending down to dig through the bags. "And my parents don't care where I spend my breaks."

Dex frowned a little at Nursey's tone. "Okay," he said softly. "Thank you for staying."

"No problem." Nursey looked up and flashed him a smile. He pulled a box out of the bag. "Now, let's make this place look like it's Christmastime."


	2. December 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This goes kind of AU (a little bit), but only insofar that Dex sees Jack and Bitty kissing before they tell anyone (specifically the frogs). It's not a big deal, but I figured I should mention it.

**December 23**

Dex leaned against the stove, lazily stirring the pan of scrambled eggs. They'd stayed up late the night before, trying to work their way through all eight Harry Potter movies. Dex had fallen asleep somewhere during the Half-Blood Prince, only to be woken by Nursey in the middle of the night. Dex had opted to stay on the couch rather than make his way up the stairs at 2am while half-asleep. He'd slept in and then stayed on the couch until he could hear the first signs of life from Nursey.

Stretching a little, Dex hopped over to the sink and pulled two dishes out of the cupboard above it. He grabbed the pan, divided the scrambled eggs onto two plates and then put the pan into the sink to soak. Thankfully the Haus kitchen was small, so Dex could reach the table with three awkward hops. 

"Breakfast is ready!"

A loud thump was his answer. Dex paused, leaning sideways so he could see the stairs through the open doorway. "Nursey? You still alive up there?"

"I'm good!"

With a sigh, Dex leaned back and reached for the--

"Aw, fuck," he cursed. No forks. 

Nursey came down the stairs just as Dex started to seriously contemplate eating his scrambled eggs with his fingers. 

"Grab some forks while you're up," Dex said. He looked up when Nursey waved a fork under his nose and then nearly dropped it while taking it from him. "Did you forget where the closet was? Or how to use a towel?"

"Huh?" Nursey looked down at his naked chest, idly wiping his hand over a damp patch. "I was in a hurry. Someone yelled about breakfast." He took a bite. "'s good. Did Bitty teach you how to make this?"

"It's scrambled eggs, Nurse. Bitty didn't have to teach me."

"Can you cook other things?"

"Sure." Dex took a sip of his coffee. "At home, my mom assigns everyone chores. You know, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mowing the lawn, cutting the hedges, laundry, cooking, doing the dishes, babysitting. Stuff like that. I hated cleaning, but I did all right with the cooking."

"I'll say." Nursey shoveled some more eggs into his mouth. "These eggs taste really good."

Dex allowed himself a small, pleased smile. "Thanks."

They ate in silence for a moment, then Nursey cleared his throat. "Since you can't really walk around too much, I thought we could have a Super Mario tournament and then, I don't know, watch some Christmas movies? Or whatever you do at your house."

Dex nodded. He'd figured out the day before, sometime between Nursey unpacking a veritable mountain of kitschy Christmas decorations and directing Nursey on where to place the last bauble on their little fake Christmas tree, that Nursey's relationship with the holiday was a little more complicated than 'we don't do Christmas'. He seemed downright enthusiastic about listening to Dex recounting some Poindexter Christmases, but then turned oddly melancholic while staring at the twinkling lights he'd put up all over the living room.

Nursey stood up, his chair scraping over the floorboards with a toothache-inducing sound. It was more than enough to shake Dex out of his thoughts, and he shelved the mystery that was Nursey and Christmas for a later time. Nursey stayed to clear up the table and then ran upstairs to grab a shirt while Dex hobbled into the living room and set up the game. Christmas or not, he was going to _destroy_ Nursey at Mario Kart.

#

"Hey, Nursey?"

They were slumped down on the sofa, Dex with his foot up on the coffee table resting comfortably on a pillow and Nursey with his feet curled up on the seat next to him. It made him list to the side a little, leaning against Dex' arm.

"Hmm?"

"If you're--"

Dex stopped himself, thinking. They'd ordered pizza earlier, Dex not feeling fit enough to cook and Nursey being banned from using Bitty's stove. Dex felt exhausted even though the most strenuous thing he'd done all day was walk as far as the bathroom and back several times. After dinner, they'd mutually decided that How The Grinch Stole Christmas would be the perfect way to ease into a holiday movie marathon, and they'd spent the last hour sitting in companionable silence. It had been one of the most peaceful days Dex had ever spent with Nursey, and while he didn't want to fuck it up, he also felt intensely curious. 

Beside Dex, Nursey shifted and looked at him.

"I was just wondering--" Dex sighed. "Okay, so Holster does Christmas because of Ransom, right? Otherwise he wouldn't bother, being Jewish and all. But you're all--" Dex cut himself off with a frustrated sound, trying to find a way to ask Nursey about Christmas without being offensive. "I mean, what's your deal with Christmas? Because you're not religious – at least I think you're not. You've never mentioned any holidays from either faith, so I just figured--Nevermind."

Ears burning, Dex turned back to the movie. Clearly he shouldn't be allowed to speak, ever.

Nursey kept eyes fixed on the TV, his shoulders stiff. "It's stupid."

"Okay. Forget I asked." Dex nodded, 100% ready to drop the subject if it meant keeping the peace in the Haus. He and Nursey had been friends for over a year and roommates for four months; he'd learned to read Nursey and pick his battles. Mostly.

"It's not even Christmas, really," Nursey broke the tense silence after a minute. He swung his legs down, creating some distance between them as he sat up. "It just reminds me of my nana."

"Christmas?"

Nursey nodded. "She loved Christmas. She had hand-made stockings with our names on them. Her entire house would always smell like cookies and she'd make a special batch for Santa." Nursey sighed. "You're right, I'm not religious. We did Christmas with Nana and Eid-al Fitr and Eid-al Adha with my dad's family, but that's about it. I really don't mind that we don't celebrate any religious holidays. In fact, it's been kind of weird to celebrate the end of Ramadan when I don't even fast. It feels a bit like cheating, just like celebrating Christmas."

"But?" Dex prompted.

"But Christmas is kind of a special case for me. Every year we'd head over to my nana's house on Christmas Eve, do the whole Christmas thing on Christmas Day and then head back home after breakfast the next day. I got presents, which was cool, but the real draw was seeing Nana. Apart from my birthday and Thanksgiving, it was pretty much the only time I saw my nana, so for me, Christmas is…" Nursey gave a vague wave oh his hand and shrugged. "I told you it was stupid."

"I don't get why you think it's stupid." Dex turned a little so he could look at Nursey, hooking his arm over the back of the couch to keep his balance. "If Christmas reminds you of your nana, then I don't think it's stupid to miss it. In fact, I think your nana would be happy to see you're still celebrating the holiday, even if you do it in your own way and not for the same reasons she did."

Nursey made a thoughtful noise and relaxed a little more. He pulled his feet back up and slowly slid sideways until he bumped into Dex. Out of reflex, Dex dropped his arm on Nursey's shoulder to stop him from sliding further.

"She was the first person I came out to, you know."

"Your nana?"

"Yeah." Nursey laughed a little. "It was Christmas, actually. I was eleven, and it turned out to be my last Christmas with her. We were in the kitchen, preparing the cookies for Santa - only Nana and I could do it right - and she asked about school. I told her about my teachers and the other kids - and Charlie. Charlie, AKA Charles Richard Worthington-Pryce. The third."

"Wow," Dex commented, his tone saying everything he didn't.

Nursey chuckled.

"Yeah, he was a giant douche. But he was pretty fucking cute and eleven-year-old me had shit taste."

"And your nana clued in on your crush on Charlie Douchebag-Pryce the third?"

Nursey shook his head. "No, she asked if Charlie was my friend. And I just kind of blurted out that we weren't really friends but that was okay because I'd rather be his boyfriend instead. I think Nana was pretty shook by the whole thing, and maybe she thought it was 'just a phase', but she was still pretty cool about it. Told me to follow my dreams no matter what anyone else said." 

"She sounds nice."

"She was." Nursey sank a little lower on the couch and reached for the blanket that had fallen to the floor during dinner. He draped it over both of them. "What about your nana?"

Dex snorted. "Well, let me put it this way: Poindexter men from Maine to Ireland agree that Grams is one scary woman."

"Doesn't mean she can't be nice," Nursey pointed out.

"True," Dex agreed, "but she'll also whack your fingers with her wooden spoon if you take a cookie without asking." And then, before he could change his mind, Dex took a breath and added, "Not sure what she'd say if I came out to her, but I doubt she'd be as cool about it as your nana."

Beside him, Nursey grunted in surprise. "Is this a hypothetical, if-alternative-universe-Dex-were gay kind of situation, or...?"

"I'm... bi. I think." Dex' face was burning, and he could feel Nursey's gaze on him, so he studiously ignored it in favor of staring at the TV. The credits were rolling, but he didn't think Nursey would be harsh enough to point it out. "I'm still figuring it out, really."

"That's cool. Thanks for telling me. I know that probably wasn't easy for you."

Dex let out a sharp breath because no, that hadn't been easy. He had told exactly two people before Nursey, his older sister and Jack. He hadn't planned it either time. 

His sister had borrowed his laptop without asking and stumbled over several open tabs - websites with info on sexual identity, statistics and lists (because numbers were comforting), coming out stories and book recommendations. She hadn't asked, but it wasn't like she couldn't guess what it meant. So he'd told her. How he'd picked Samwell because of the scholarship, yes, but also because he'd though it'd be a good place to figure out what he felt. That he'd thought it'd be easier at Samwell, even though it turned out that nothing much had changed. 

Yeah, there was Bitty, and Ransom and Holster with their strangely intimate yet technically platonic relationship, and Shitty with his lectures and info dumps. But none of that had helped Dex. Seeing Ransom and Holster cuddling on this very couch hadn't exactly helped him figure out his own feelings. He couldn't even figure out what _they_ were feeling - were they together? Were they just uncomfortably close bros? Were they fuckbuddies, friends with benefits? So how could he try and pinpoint what a relationship like Ransom and Holster's would mean to him if he didn't even know what kind of relationship they even had?

And then there was Shitty who was, as far as Dex could see, straight and had only ever kissed guys when it was for a bet. And yet he waxed poetic about Jack Zimmermann's butt (and a few other hockey butts), threw himself into his teammates' arms stark naked and seemed to have a radar for people talking shit about gender, sexuality and anything in between because he would always show up to lecture them. 

Telling Jack had been a defense mechanism. He hadn't really meant to see them, but his morning lecture had been canceled and Bitty had asked him to take another look at the dryer, so Dex had trekked over to the Haus to fix it while everyone else was at class. Except Bitty had been home, clearly visible through the kitchen windows. In Jack's arms. Kissing him. 

Dex had panicked for a moment, but before he could turn around and leave, they'd broken the kiss and Jack had looked out the window and seen him. So Dex had tightened his grip on the toolbox and breezed past the kitchen and down the stairs. He could pretend he hadn't seen anything. 

Only Jack had followed him down, nervously hovering by Dex' open toolbox.

"It's fine," Dex had snapped. "I'm not gonna say anything."

"Thank you," Jack had said, looking relieved and guilty at the same time. It had made Dex fix his gaze on the filter he'd replaced last time, not looking at Dex. 

"I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable. I know you're not--"

"Not what?" Dex had snapped. "Not _chill_ like some people? I said I'm not gonna tell and I won't, okay? I don't really know why everyone always assumes I have a huge problem with gay people, but I don't. Does it make me uncomfortable? Yes. Does that mean I'm a homophobic asshole? Fuck no. Has anyone even considered that I could have other reasons to be uncomfortable with it? Like, I don't know, trying to figure out my own shit and being so fucking confused all the damn time because nobody is staying in their own fucking lane? There's sexual orientations I've never even heard of but that Shitty will lecture me about for hours on end and here I am trying to figure out if I like girls, guys or both. Give it a rest already!"

Jack had stared at him for a moment, face blank as he processed, and then he'd nodded and told Dex to call him if he ever wanted to talk about it.

"Do you think we have time for Home Alone one _and_ two?" Nursey asked, breaking through Dex' memories. 

Dex glanced at the clock. "Sure," he said with slightly forced casualness. "Why not?"

Nursey grabbed the remote and called up Home Alone. 

Dex' heartbeat gradually returned to a normal speed, and if Dex thought Nursey relaxed a little deeper into his side? Well, it was probably his imagination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I meant to post this earlier but there's a storm so my internet's been on and off all evening. Next chapter should be up late on Christmas Eve, with the last chapter + epilogue following on Christmas Day. :D


	3. December 24

**December 24**

Dex woke up on the couch, his blanket tucked around him. Bitty could never know, but the green couch was actually pretty comfortable. After two nights spent on the couch rather than his own bed, Dex felt pretty good. It probably helped that he only took the stairs when absolutely necessary. 

After making the long trek up the stairs for a shower and a change of clothes, Dex headed for the kitchen and started breakfast. 

Nursey was a heavy sleeper. Since moving into the attic together, Dex had taken over responsibility to get Nursey up for morning practices and team breakfasts. One thing that never failed to get Nursey upright was the smell of fresh coffee. 

Nursey stumbled in wearing only his boxers and a shirt that Dex strongly suspected was his own. He yawned and stretched, scratching a hand over his stomach where his shirt rode up. 

Dex gave himself a mental shake and turned his attention firmly to Nursey's face, only to realize his plan had one giant flaw: Nursey's face was as gorgeous as the rest of him. Nursey blinked sleepily, opening his mouth for another yawn even as he reached for the mug of coffee on the counter. He held the mug up to his face and inhaled deeply before taking a careful sip. He hissed at the temperature, but immediately lowered his lips to the mug again for another sip. 

Dex shook his head a little, regarding Nursey with a fond smile on his face. No self-preservation at all. 

"So, what's the plan for today?" Dex asked, trying to distract himself from Nursey's face. Nursey hadn't showered yet, which meant he hadn't shaved yet. It left Dex with the uncomfortable urge to wonder about the dark stubble on Nursey's face and how it would feel against his skin.

Nursey shrugged, draining the last of his coffee. He poured himself another mug and sat down across from Dex. "How's your ankle?"

"Pretty okay, as long as I don't move or think about it."

"More movies?" Nursey suggested. 

"More movies," Dex agreed. "Maybe some more Mario Kart."

Nursey groaned – Dex had indeed destroyed Nursey the day before – but agreed.

#

Despite their plans, they hadn't managed to spend the entire day lounging on the couch. After lunch (sandwiches and more cookies), Dex hadn't been able to sit still, feeling the inactivity of the last week like an itch under his skin. He couldn't even go for a walk, and it rankled.

After Dex had snapped at Nursey for the third time without a good reason, he called for a time out. Dex didn't want for things to deteriorate so much that they ended up fighting on Christmas Day. Nursey agreed that it might not be a bad idea to spend the afternoon apart. 

Dex trekked upstairs again, using the weights in their room and doing sit-ups until his stomach muscles were screaming. His ankle felt a little sore afterwards even though Dex had made sure not to jostle it too much, so he took another shower, grabbed an ice pack and went back to the couch. 

He didn't want to start another movie without Nursey, so he simply made himself comfortable and took the opportunity to call his mom while he had some privacy. Dex knew that Nursey didn't talk to his parents much, so he always made sure to call his mom while Nursey was out in case it bothered Nursey. Dex couldn't really imagine having a relationship with his parents that basically amounted to being roommates during the breaks and nothing much else during the semester. If he decided to cancel his trip home at the last minute to spend Christmas with a friend, it would take more than a text message to clear it with his mom. 

Dex was under orders from his mom to call at least once a week, to update her on his grades and his classes, to reassure her that he was indeed eating right and to let her embarrass him with questions about his love life (not that he answered them in anything but the vaguest way). Dex spent ten minutes chatting with his mom and then got passed around on the phone for another twenty minutes by his siblings and cousins, meaning Dex was thoroughly updated on what was happening at home.

After the phone call, Dex pulled out his laptop and skyped Chowder. 

Nursey walked in just as Chowder ended the call because they were leaving to pick up his auntie and her family from the airport. 

"Was that Chowder?"

"Yeah. He said to tell you 'Merry Christmas' and then went into a tizzy that ended with 'Happy Holidays' instead." 

Dex phone buzzed. 

From: Chowder  
To: me  
Message:  Was that NURSEY!!!?? What is he doing at the haus? Did he stay??? 

Nursey dropped a bag that smelled like Chinese takeout on the coffee table and moved on to the small tree set up in the corner.

"Chowder says hi," Dex paraphrased when Nursey made a questioning sound. 

From: me  
To: Chowder  
Message: yeah, he felt sorry for me and decided to stick around.

The reply was nearly instantaneous. 

From: Chowder  
To: me  
Message: !!! Awww, that is so nice of him! I hope you two arent arguing!!!

From: me  
To: Chowder  
Message: we're not, don't worry.

Dex looked up to find Nursey kneeling next to the tree. 

"What are you doing?" 

"Putting presents under the tree."

Dex breathed out through his nose. He didn't want to argue with Nursey, no matter how much of a smartass he was. "There were presents under the tree," Dex pointed out. His mom had sent out his presents the day he'd called and told her he wouldn't be able to come home for the holidays, and Dex had done the same with the presents for his family.

"Well, now there's more presents." Nursey sat back and gave the tree a satisfied look. "It looks nice."

In addition to the three presents from his family (one from his parents, one from Grams, and one from his collective siblings), four more brightly wrapped packages were sitting under the tree. 

"You can stare at them all you want, but you don't get to open them until tomorrow."

"They're for me?"

Nursey gave him a blank look. "No, I got presents for everyone who isn't here."

Dex pulled a face and threw his pillow at Nursey. "Asshole. I don't have anything for you."

Nursey shrugged. "I don't care."

Dex made a noncommittal noise and turned back to his laptop. He felt a bit put out, mostly because it was kind of a dick move to get him presents when Nursey knew fully well Dex couldn't go out and return the favor. It sucked getting a present when you had nothing to give in return. But since Nursey wasn't trying to be an ass, Dex tried to let it go.

"Thanks," he mumbled when Nursey sat down next to him and handed over a carton of food.

Nursey gave him a long look. "Chill, Dex. I'm not expecting a present and you're the one on crutches. You deserve it, okay? Besides, can you imagine yourself at the mall right now? Forget the ankle injury – I'd be more worried about you punching somebody."

"Funny," Dex grumbled, but Nursey was right. The mall was a nightmare during the holidays. It was part of the reason why Dex shopped for Christmas presents early. Most years, he had a gift for everyone by the time Thanksgiving rolled around. He still felt a little uncomfortable knowing that all the presents under the tree were for him and none for Nursey, but there wasn't much he could do about it. It was nearly seven pm on Christmas Eve – even the most dedicated online stores couldn't deliver on such short notice.

#

They watched The Muppet Christmas Carol first and then switched to It's a Wonderful Life. As the movie progressed, Nursey listed to the side more and more until he was leaning heavily on Dex. Without thinking, Dex moved his arm until they were sitting like the day before, with Nursey leaning into his side and Dex' arm around Nursey's shoulders.

The room was dark, illuminated only by the twinkling lights strung around the room and the TV, and Nursey was warm and he smelled really nice. Nursey's hair brushed Dex' neck, and Dex felt hyperaware of every movement Nursey made. It was oddly reminiscent of some of the movie dates Dex had been on in high school. This time there wasn't much of a chance of his mom bursting into the room though.

For a moment Dex wondered if maybe Ransom and Holster had the right idea. Bromantic cuddling was their go-to move whenever they shared the couch, and Dex had to admit that the cuddling was nice. But he was pretty sure it wasn't a platonic life-mates thing with him and Nursey. Although maybe it wasn't all that platonic between Ransom and Holster either - Dex still hadn't figured out if Holster following Ransom to Boston after graduation had been a BFF kind of thing or a boyfriend kind of thing. Either way it made his head hurt a little to try and figure out _that_ relationship, so focused back on Nursey and how nice it felt to hold him.

"Hey, Nursey?" 

"Hmm?"

"What are we doing?"

There was a short pause, then Nursey sighed. "I'm… not sure. Do you want us to stop?" 

Nursey could have denied anything was happening, so Dex was relieved when he didn't pretend not to know what Dex was talking about. Not that Nursey's answer helped much. But the idea of Nursey pulling away and settling down on the other end of the couch didn't sound very appealing. He tightened his arm around Nursey's shoulders. "Not really. If that's okay with you?" 

"Very okay," Nursey replied, snuggling a little closer.

Dex ignored the flutter in his chest and turned his attention back to the TV. They still had two more Christmas movies lined up, and Dex had no plans whatsoever to get off this couch before they'd watched them both.


	4. December 25

**December 25**

Waking up on Christmas Day at the Haus was a completely different experience to waking up in his childhood home. For one, he didn't have his younger siblings up and running at the crack of dawn, yelling about Santa while the older ones shouted at them to go back to sleep. He almost missed his mom's yearly attempt at a compromise: everybody could stay up, but presents weren't opened until after breakfast. It always backfired on her, the little ones racing through breakfast fast enough that one of them invariably got sick while everybody else complained about being up before sunrise. 

Dex missed the chaos of his family, and the general air of joy that hung over everything. Samwell was quiet enough to make it feel like a ghost town, and it wouldn't surprise Dex at all if he and Nursey were the only two people left on campus. 

But the main difference was that at home in Maine, he wouldn't have Nursey draped all over him like a living blanket. 

Dex couldn't really remember falling asleep, but this was the third time in a row that he'd woken up on the green couch and it was by far the most enjoyable. Nursey was lying on his side, wedged in between Dex and the back of the couch. His head was resting on Dex' shoulder and he'd pushed one of his legs between Dex'. Nursey's arm was flung out over Dex' chest and his fist was loosely curled in the fabric of Dex' shirt. 

Nursey looked amazing, even with bed hair and a day's worth of scruff. Dex raked a hand over his own stubble and then reached out to cup Nursey's face, brushing his thumb over the coarse hair covering Nursey's cheek. He still wasn't sure what exactly they're doing, but whatever it was, he wanted it. He wanted Nursey to look at him with soft eyes, to lean into his side and to wake up in the same bed. 

Nursey smiled, his eyes still closed, and Dex felt his breath catch in his throat. He definitely wanted this.

"Good morning," Nursey said, his voice rough from sleep. "Been awake long?"

"Not too long." Dex trailed his hand up to Nursey's temple and he brushed the hair out of his face.

Nursey opened his eyes and tightened his grip on Dex, like he wanted to make sure Dex stayed right where he was.

"I figured out what to give you for Christmas," Dex said, his heart pounding in his chest. "I'm not sure you'll like it, or if it's even appropriate, but..."

"Yes?"

Dex leaned in and softly kissed Nursey. "Merry Christmas," he whispered when he pulled back. 

Nursey made a content noise and closed his eyes again, burying his face in Dex' chest. "What time is it?" he asked, his voice muffled.

Dex craned his neck to see out the window – the living room was still bathed in the light of a dozen light chains and the blinking colorful lights of the Christmas tree, but the world outside was still dark. 

"That means it's before 8 am - way too early, even for Christmas. Let's nap some more and then exchange presents."

"I already gave you yours." 

Nursey raised his head, and his smile fading a little. "Does that mean it was a one-time deal?"

"What? No! I was just chirping you."

Dex could feel Nursey's sigh of relief against his whole body. Something inside him unclenched at this physical sign that Nursey was just as invested in this as he was. 

Nursey settled back down. "In that case, I vote for more sleep."

"Agreed." After all, it wasn't every Christmas that Dex got to sleep in, especially not with Nursey in his arms. He was about to slide into sleep when Nursey nuzzled his neck.

"Hey, Dex?" 

"Hmm?"

"Merry Christmas," Nursey murmured, pressing a small kiss to Dex' neck.

Dex smiled and drifted off to sleep.


	5. Epilogue: One Year Later

****

December 25 - one year later

"Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get UP!"

Nursey jerked awake and came face to face with a miniature version of Dex jumping on the bed – and their legs.

Beside him, Dex groaned, eyes still closed, and kicked out, sending the kid flying down onto the mattress with a yelp. Before Nursey had time to be really alarmed – at the roughhousing or the elbow hitting his thigh - Dex' younger brother giggled and started his 'get up' litany again.

There were eight Poindexter children, all with red hair and freckles ("You make one Weasley family joke, Nursey, I swear to god."), and Nursey technically knew all of their names. He just didn't know which name went with the one currently doing his best to make this Christmas a nightmare.

Dex sat up after the ninth 'get up' and shoved the kid off the bed. "Jeez, Jamie, I'm up. Go bother someone else," he grumbled, running a hand over his face. 

Jamie grinned and darted out of the room, leaving the door open. From the sounds of it, he moved over to the next room where Dex' older sister and her fiancé were sleeping. 

Nursey took a few moments to get his heart rate back to a normal level and then curled around Dex, shoving his face into his boyfriend's side. "Whyyyyy?" he whined. "Why is your little brother evil?"

Dex chuckled and dropped his hand on Nursey's head, running his fingers through his hair. "He's not evil. He's six and excited it's Christmas."

"Evil," Nursey repeated.

"Poor baby, not used to being woken at, uh, six twenty-four by a yelling kid… how will you ever survive?"

"You mock my pain!" Nursey cried dramatically. He pressed his face closer to Dex and nipped at his skin. Dex yelped and Nursey pulled back, fighting against the blankets to get upright. He gave Dex an expectant look. 

Dex sighed, deeply enough that Nursey knew it was for show. "Life is pain, Highness," he dutifully replied.

Grinning, Nursey dropped a kiss on Dex' cheek and stood up, shivering a little in the early morning coolness of the room. He yawned and stretched a little. "I swear I have never been so awake so fast in my life."

"Don't I know it," Dex muttered. Waking Nursey up in the mornings was always a struggle, but Dex had to admit he'd never thought to jump on Nursey and yell in his ear. Although... the thought of jumping Nursey in the mornings was very tempting, and Dex made a note to try it when they were back at the Haus. Without the yelling, of course. Dex grinned and stepped into the hallway. "Looks like we're the first ones up, apart from the little hellions. Good."

"Good? No, babe, that's not the definition of good." Out in the hallway, he could hear Jamie and his twin brother Ian as well as their slightly older sister Maeve make more noise than a half-drunk Holster.

"Oh, but it is," Dex said. He grabbed Nursey's hand and dragged him down the hallway. "Because as soon as everyone else is up, the bathroom turns into a battleground. You do not want to get into Molly's way when she's getting ready."

Nursey raised his eyebrows.

Dex pointed at the small burn scar on his upper arm. "Curling iron. She was seventeen, I was fourteen, and apparently fifty-three minutes is not an unreasonable time to block the bathroom for."

They took turns in the shower. Nursey, already freshly showered and shaved, brushed his teeth while Dex took his shower. Before Dex was done, the doorknob rattled. 

Nursey opened the door and came face to face with one of the middle Poindexters. Josie, maybe? Or was it Fiona? Nursey couldn't tell. "Dex is still in the shower," he said, unnecessarily pointing to the running shower.

"I don't even care."

Recognizing the 'getting ready to fight you' look from Dex, Nursey stepped aside just as Dex pulled back the shower curtain and poked his head out. "It's okay," he said over the din of the shower, "just let her in."

Nursey escaped back to the bedroom before more Poindexters showed up. Even after over a year of living in the Haus, the chaos of a Poindexter family morning was a little disconcerting to someone who'd grown up in the silence of a one-child household. Growing up, the only noise in the house had been of his own making – hearing yelling and conversation and slamming doors everywhere around him was strange. 

"Good strange, though," Nursey muttered to himself as he closed the door and got dressed. Dex had given him firm instructions: the Poindexters did breakfast and presents in pajamas, so Nursey didn't bother with the jeans and shirt yet. As Dex explained it, clothes were a common gift and it was tradition to put on whatever you were given. Dex' older brother Michael had once put on every single clothes item he'd gotten for Christmas, ending with him dressed in three t-shirts, two sweaters and six pairs of socks. 

Grinning to himself, Nursey sat down on the bed and pulled out his phone. 

Dex came in not too long after that and got dressed. "What are you smiling about?"

"I've decided to spread the Christmas cheer early this year," Nursey said, holding up his phone where the group chat was blowing up with messages ranging from "i hate you" and "noooo why so early nursey" to "merry xmas imma kill you when you get back xoxo" and "I don't even celebrate you asshole."

"They're gonna kill you," Dex commented, pulling Nursey to his feet. He linked his hands behind Nursey's back and kissed Nursey's ear, trailing kisses over Nursey's cheek until he reached the corner of Nursey's mouth. "But don't worry; I'll protect you."

"My hero."

Nursey closed his eyes and kissed Dex, intending to keep things sweet and simple. Dex had other ideas, despite standing in his childhood bedroom with the door closed but unlocked and everybody in the house awake and getting ready for breakfast. He moaned and deepened the kiss, his fingers digging into the small of Nursey's back. When they finally pulled apart, Nursey was gasping for breath and Dex was heavy-lidded and flushed.

"Breakfast, boys!" Dex' mom yelled through the door, knocking for good measure as she passed the door.

"All right, come on." Dex grabbed Nursey's hand and pulled him to the door. Hand on the doorknob, he paused and turned back to Nursey, leaning in for a short kiss.

Nursey smiled and linked their fingers, leaning into Dex as they left the room to join everyone downstairs. "Merry Christmas, babe."

"Merry Christmas."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nursey and Dex as Buttercup and Westley because I'd read a whole fic of them doing the whole Princess Bride thing. Nursey is definitely dramatic enough to be Buttercup, and can you imagine Dex as a pirate?! *swoons*
> 
> Dex got Nursey a really soft dark green sweater for Christmas that really brings out his eyes. Nursey wears it all day and Dex wants nothing more than to take it off him again. 
> 
> Dex told his parents that he was bi towards the end of summer before his senior year. Spending his six months anniversary away from Nursey sucked, and he didn't want to end up spending their one year anniversary (i.e. Christmas) without him, too. Nursey met Mr. and Mrs. Poindexter in October, and then occasionally spoke to Dex' older siblings over skype and even talked on the phone with Mrs Poindexter sometimes? (She made Dex hand over the phone and asked if he was eating right???)
> 
> TL;DR – Happy Holidays to you all! ♥

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter: tomorrow (hopefully)


End file.
